2016 Acura TLX reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Acura TLX holds 110 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 8 per year. That is more complaints per year than most TLX years here — over the median of the other years, which is 5. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Fuel pump and Internal engine parts.

2015 Acura TLX — Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Complaints

110

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (27 of 110), then Electrical system (24) and Powertrain (15). Those filings include 5 that report a crash and 6 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 TLX has 342 complaints, 45 per year, and the 2017 has 71 complaints, 5 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Acura TLX. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000

Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Recall engine and cooling, engine, internal engine parts 2023-11-13 · NHTSA campaign 23V751000

Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2016 and 2018-2019 Pilot, 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 Odyssey vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the connecting rod bearing in the engine may wear and seize, damaging the engine.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and repair, or replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 2016-2017 Acura MDX owner letters were mailed November 1, 2024. 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed in mid-December 2024. Honda began mailing owner notification letters as of March 18, 2024. 2015-2016 Acura owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-December 2024, 2018 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed the end of March/early April 2024, 2019 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-May 2024, 2020 Acura TLX owner letters are expected to be mailed mid-June 2024, and 2016-2020 Acura MDX owner letters are expected to be mailed January 27, 2025. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XG1 and GG0.

Recall other fuel system, delivery, fuel pump 2019-01-29 · NHTSA campaign 19V060000

Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.

Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.

Complaints by component (110 total)

Engine

Electrical system

Powertrain

Engine and engine cooling

Speed control

Fuel and propulsion system

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Service brakes

Visibility and wipers

Steering

Fuel system, other

Lane departure

Seats

Structure

Tires

Air bags

Back-over prevention

Forward collision avoidance

Exterior lighting

Suspension

Visibility

Wheels

Show 14 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"PAWS system component failure causing the steering angle to misalign, throttle response to decrease, and drivability to decrease severely"
Steering, Suspension, Electrical system · filed 2026-07-18
"The contact owns a 2016 Acura TLX. The contact stated that the rear-view camera image was cloudy and was not functioning because there was water inside the camera. While reversing, the driver was unable to see an image…"
Back-over prevention · filed 2026-07-13
"This vehicle was sold to me on July 18, 2025 with Campaign CH7 open and unperformed. The dealer's disclosure form falsely stated that I had been informed of all recalls with the vehicle. No specific mention of Campaign…"
Engine · filed 2026-06-19
"The alarm on my car would intermittently and randomly go off at any time while car was parked and locked. After much research I deduced that it is the Smart Power Control Unit located behind the glove box. The epoxy…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-05-31
"Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Acura TLX. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-04-15

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2016 Acura TLX 4 DR AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars
2016 Acura TLX 4 DR FWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
TLX two-wheel drive	2.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AM-S8)	Front-wheel drive	24	35	28 MPG	$2850
TLX two-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (9-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	34	25 MPG	$3200
TLX four-wheel drive	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (9-speed)	All-wheel drive	21	31	25 MPG	$3200

Specs and fitment

1st generation (UB), 2015–2020

Body styles Sedan

Oil 0W-20 (V6 or 2.4L per manual) , 4.5 qt capacity

Tire size 245/40R19, 225/50R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 21V215000 covers affected vehicles after the agency found that honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Acura TLX Next year 2017 Acura TLX See every Acura TLX model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Acura TLX reliable?

What are common problems with a 2016 Acura TLX?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (27 of 110), then Electrical system (24) and Powertrain (15). Those filings include 5 that report a crash and 6 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Acura TLX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2015 TLX has 342 complaints, 45 per year, and the 2017 has 71 complaints, 5 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Acura TLX been recalled?

The 2016 Acura TLX has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Acura TLX?

Owners have filed 110 complaints about the 2016 Acura TLX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Acura TLX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Acura TLX is 26 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a Acura TLX use?

US TLX manuals specify 0W-20 for recent gasoline engines.

What generation is the 2022 Acura TLX?

2nd generation (2021-on).

What tire sizes does an Acura TLX use?

First-gen trims list 225/50R18 and 245/40R19; second-gen pages commonly list 255/40R19.